call unitedhealthcare to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you. call now. ♪ martha: well, stalled again, just six weeks to go now and the negotiations to avoid the looming fiscal cliff are stuck on the issue of raising taxes and cutting entitlement spending. despite the pre holiday optimism republicans and democrats are seeing who blinks first it appears. i'm martha maccallum. bill: i'm bill hemmer. good morning. good morning to you. martha: hello there. bill: we know there is no set meeting on the schedule for the white house for the president to sit down with congressional leaders. they talked on the phone on the weekend. all that can change by the day. the president will appeal to americans, some of them to put pressure on maker lawmakers. republicans indicating you do not need to raise tax rates to get to the deficit. >> we ned we need a realistic chance for it to pass congress. >> he will not extend the bush-era cuts for those making more than $250,000. he's made that clear. i've made that clear, others have made it clear that is a firm pos